Early Season Slump Explained as Vision Issues Lead to Diagnosis of Astigmatism and Glasses Prescription for Struggling Dodgers Player
Baseball is a game of vision. From reading the spin of a breaking ball to tracking a 98 mph fastball out of the hand, elite hand-eye coordination is essential. Even the smallest changes in eyesight can derail a hitter’s ability to execute. For one Dodgers player, that reality hit hard earlier this season. After enduring an uncharacteristic slump to start the year, frustration mounting with each misread pitch and mistimed swing, the cause of his struggles wasn’t mechanical or mental—it was medical. A visit to the optometrist revealed the unexpected: astigmatism in his right eye. Soon after, glasses were prescribed. And with that, everything began to make sense.
For weeks, fans and analysts had puzzled over his performance. This was a player with a reliable track record, someone who had been a key contributor in past seasons. But from the moment the season began, things were off. He was late on fastballs, flailing at breaking balls he used to spit on, and showing frustration at the plate that was uncharacteristic of his usual composed demeanor. It wasn’t just a slump—it looked like something deeper.
Teammates noticed it too. “You could tell he was battling something,” one said. “It wasn’t just timing. It wasn’t confidence. He was missing pitches in a way he never has before.”
The numbers told the same story. His strikeout rate ballooned. His batting average cratered. His whiff rate—normally among the best on the team—ranked near the bottom of the league. For a hitter who’d built his reputation on patience and precision, the decline was stark and immediate. But no one, including the player himself, could initially pinpoint the cause.
That changed with one appointment. After admitting that things “just looked blurry sometimes” and that lights in certain ballparks felt especially harsh, he decided to get his vision checked. What he found was surprising: astigmatism in his dominant eye. Astigmatism, a common vision condition caused by an irregularly shaped cornea or lens, can distort vision, especially when tracking small, fast-moving objects—like a baseball.
“It explained everything,” he said. “I thought I was just in a bad funk. I kept working, watching video, hitting off the tee. But when I found out it was my vision, it was almost a relief. Like, okay, this is something I can fix.”
Shortly after the diagnosis, corrective lenses were prescribed. Though some players in the past have been hesitant about wearing glasses on the field, the shift was embraced quickly. Modern sports eyewear is designed for performance, offering anti-glare, shatterproof materials that don’t interfere with gameplay. The transition was smooth, and within days, the difference was noticeable—not just to him, but to those around him.
“He looked like a different guy in the cage,” the team’s hitting coach said. “He wasn’t guessing anymore. He was seeing the ball, reacting like his old self. You could see the confidence come back.”
The results soon followed. In his first few games wearing glasses, his plate discipline returned. Walks went up. Strikeouts dipped. And then came the power—drives to the gap, home runs to dead center, and long at-bats where he wore pitchers down pitch after pitch. It was as if the fog had lifted—because, in a very real sense, it had.
For the Dodgers, the turnaround couldn’t have come at a better time. The team had been searching for offensive consistency, and getting one of their key bats back to form helped stabilize the lineup. It also served as a reminder of how important it is to look beyond the obvious when players struggle. Not every slump is about mechanics. Not every dip in production is about mindset. Sometimes, it’s simply about being able to see clearly.
The player’s openness about the diagnosis also set an example in the clubhouse. Baseball players are notoriously superstitious and reluctant to admit weakness, but by confronting the issue head-on and being honest about what he was dealing with, he created a space for teammates to do the same.
“It takes guts to say, ‘Hey, something’s wrong, and I need help,’” said one teammate. “But that’s who he is. He’s always been about the team. He just wanted to get right and help us win.”
In the weeks since the change, his performance has steadily climbed back toward expectations. Metrics that had cratered in April and May have stabilized in June and July. His OPS, once dangerously low, has now surged back into respectable territory. Perhaps more importantly, the quality of his at-bats—measured in pitches seen, contact rate, and hard-hit balls—has improved dramatically.
And beyond the numbers, there’s the eye test. He looks like himself again—confident, composed, and dangerous in the batter’s box. Pitchers are no longer attacking him with impunity. They know the threat is back.
For fans, it’s been a welcome sight. Early season boos have given way to cheers. Social media, once critical and puzzled, is now filled with appreciation and admiration for the turnaround. Many are in disbelief that something as common as astigmatism could have such a profound impact on a professional athlete. But that’s the margin in modern baseball. Success is measured in milliseconds, in millimeters, in the blink of an eye—quite literally.
Stories like this are reminders of just how finely tuned athletes must be. A small misalignment in vision can mean the difference between a home run and a strikeout, between winning and losing. For this player, the journey back from that misalignment has been as much about humility and honesty as it has been about talent and hard work.
He’s taken the time to speak publicly about the diagnosis, using the platform to advocate for regular check-ups and to remind young athletes not to ignore subtle changes in their body. “If something feels off, don’t just push through it,” he said. “Get it checked. Trust your instincts. You know your body better than anyone.”
That message has resonated. Across the Dodgers organization, from the minor leagues to the training staff, there’s been a renewed emphasis on player wellness. Vision screenings, already standard, are being revisited with fresh attention. Coaches are being encouraged to look for red flags not just in performance, but in behavior and routine. The hope is that what happened early this season won’t catch anyone else off guard.
As for the player himself, he’s just happy to be back on track. “It’s a long season,” he said. “You’re going to go through things. This was just my thing this year. I’m lucky we caught it when we did, and now it’s about moving forward.”
He’s not the first player to go through something like this. Baseball history is filled with examples of stars who struggled until a vision correction changed everything. Hall of Famers like Tony Gwynn and Greg Maddux famously wore glasses or contacts to help them perform at the highest level. In that sense, this Dodgers slugger is in good company.
The important thing is that the issue is now resolved—or at least under control—and the player can focus once again on what he does best: helping the Dodgers win games.
And for a team with championship aspirations, having every player at full strength is critical. Vision, confidence, timing—they’re all interconnected. Now that his vision has been corrected, the rest of the game is starting to click back into place.
What started as a frustrating mystery has become a story of resilience, adaptation, and the smallest detail making the biggest difference. In baseball, you never know what’s going to unlock a slump. This time, it was a pair of glasses. And for the Dodgers, that clarity might just make all the difference in October.
